CIRCO

by Tara Ellis

  Somewhere out in an open field in Dallas Texas was the circus filled with patrons scampering about with joy. It was set up with a big top, and other side attractions; the traditional view of a circus.

  In a closed off tent set aside for the performers there was Joyce becoming beautified by her team of makeup artists. Scarlett glared at her, heating with envy from across the way. Her team of stylists had just finished working on her hair and makeup. So she sat in a grooming chair staring at Joyce’s reflection in the dressing mirror.

  “No matter what they do, they cannot save that face,” said Scarlett.

  Celia stared at Joyce in a wondrous gaze. “She is beautiful.”

  “Let her have a surgeon work on that mug before we think of her and beauty in the same context. She also needs to start bleaching, way too dark.”

  Celia turned to Scarlett. “I disagree with plastic surgery. Even if someone thinks they’re ugly, no one should get it.”

  “Yeah that’s right, your god made ugly people for a reason,” Scarlett smirked. “Not to sound racist but I think white women like us are way more attractive than black women…”

  “Are you serious?” retorted Celia.

  “Yeah?!?”

  Celia only shook her head in disgust. To her it was apparent that Scarlett needed some help. She wanted to turn her friend over to the lord but she knew it was going to take time. Celia always felt like she should provide hope to the hopeless, and Scarlett kept Celia around because who else was going to put up with her nonsense. That was the basis of their friendship.

  “You think everyone is ugly though,” said Celia.

  “Not necessarily,” replied Scarlett. She became annoyed with Celia so she stuck out her lips like a duck.

  “I think Jake is okay looking,” she said as he was preparing in the background for his performance. “He has changed since he first came here. His nerd levels have deceased a lot, still no hope for my pussy though.”

  “Well then who do you have hope for?”

  “Hope for my pussy? Well… definitely not an industry guy anymore. I fucked a couple of Disney boys when I was younger.”

  Celia’s mouth dropped.

  “Who?!! Were they in love with you.”

  “I tried love. I gave up on it. Didn’t do my mother any good.”

  “I hope you don’t end up lonely Scarlett.”

  “I won’t. I will take the world as my lover and pop my generations cherry.” Scarlett then comes face to face with Celia. “The streets will run red with blood from all the busted hymens.” She then backed away and giggled.

  Joyce was wearing a revealing milk white leotard with red and blue slashes of color on her abdomen. The uniform exposed her cleavage which gave it a more risqué vibe over sporty. She had her hair done up in a bun that rested directly on top of her head.

  After her stylists finished prepping her she became fixated on her own beauty. Her own eyes became indulgent to the reflection in the mirror. On the side she noticed Scarlett glaring at her. So she struck a few poses just to intimidate her.

  “Wow, you’re fancying yourself pretty hard aren’t ya?” Joyce turned around expecting it to be Scarlett, but she was wrong.

  “Hey Selena,” said Joyce. “You scared me.”

  “You’re starting to scare me,” said The Girl. “I never seen anybody look in the mirror like you.”

  “It’s that girl Scarlett she likes to stare at me. She hates me for no reason, so I figured to give her a reason.”

  “And you are certainly giving her two reasons to hate you.” The Girl gestured her eyes towards Joyce’s cleavage. “Yeah I’m looking at your chest, you have them out.”

  They were talking about Scarlett without looking in her direction; talking softly amongst each other. And along comes Britney wearing skinny jeans, her curves were pushing the fabric to the absolute limit.

  “Hello, my lovelies,” said Britney. “Oh Joyce you look delicious.”

  “Thank you for making me feel uncomfortable,” Joyce said in a mockingly cheery voice. The Girl they knew as Selena then laughed.

  A crew member told Joyce she was going on camera in five minutes.

  “Okay Joyce, scamper off, I have to take this one with me,” Britney said while pointing at The Girl.

  When The Girl sat down in a makeup chair she realized that she would be seen on television. “Just to let you know,” started Britney. “You won’t be a clown after all. We’re gonna make you into a Jester. Isn’t that exciting?!”

  “Sure, I guess. But what’s the difference?”

  “It’s a world of difference, believe me. And another thing, this character you’re about to become has already been portrayed by other actresses. Honestly it’s rather an old character but that doesn’t mean this won’t be fun.” Britney usually would speak to somebody like they were the only person in the world. It made The Girl feel like a toddler watching daytime PBS. This was an entirely different Britney The Girl had last seen when she was talking about rape and child molestation.

  “Who am I going to be?” she asked.

  “You’re going to be Mimi the Jester. This character is unique because she changes from actress to actress.”

  “So, I can make this character who I want to be?”

  “Yeah.”

  “Can I have a mask?”

  “Why do you want to cover up this pretty face? If you think you’re going to look stupid, you won’t. Trust me.”

  “I’m not worried about looking stupid. I just like the feeling of hiding behind a mask.”

 

  The world’s current “King of Entertainment” stood in front of the mirror picking at the lines in his face. He was getting older, he saw and felt it. He didn’t want to age; he wanted to be young forever. He had no choice but to endure the cocaine withdrawals. It was taking a toll on his emotions and his appearance.

  For a long while he’d been staring into himself and saw something very peculiar in the mirror. He saw his reflection blink. He paid closer attention to what his reflection was doing. He glanced right at himself in the mirror, resisting the urge to blink. After a few seconds he felt silly. His stylist from across the room asked if he was ready for her. He turned around and asked her to give him a minute. He refaced the mirror and his reflection was in the same position as before. It never moved like he did. It just stood there staring at him. He saw the image before him blink and Artemis flinched at the sight. Still the image didn’t move, it just continued to stare. As it did a smirk developed in the left corner of its mouth.

  He couldn’t handle the concept of his own reality. Later on he told his stylist she wouldn’t be needed, instead he requested for her to send in a makeup artist. Moments go by and Britney walked into the room saying “Am I hearing this correctly, Artemis? You want clown makeup?”

  He said with little enthusiasm that he wanted to try something different. “You should let me do your makeup,” she offered.

  “Fine,” he said.

  Britney revealed her suitcase of makeup instruments. “So what do you want me to do with this canvas?”

  “Just take my face away.”

  Mimi The Jester